Best Men’s Shoes That Aren’t Sneakers

John Varvatos122 Spring St., nr. Greene St.; 212-965-0700
He did good things with the Converse sneaker. His basic boots manage to be both rugged and sleek. Men’s shoes of the non-sneaker variety can be tricky (too stiff, too shiny, too old-banker), but John Varvatos has gotten the everyday shoe just right. This spring’s lineup includes brown hand-stained calfskin-leather wingtip dress shoes ($450) already worn-in enough to look casual and unfussy, and an ankle boot ($365) that resembles a grown-up version of the classic tan Wallabee.

Related:

Advertising

Advertising

So what exactly does “best” mean in a city with thousands of pizza joints, hundreds of celebrity masseuses, and museum-worthy concept shops on every corner? Well, in the case of this, our annual “Best of New York” roundup, there’s a heavy emphasis on what’s new or what has somehow remained virtually unheard of (until now, of course).